Volume 6
Chapter 24
"What do you mean, you're going after Ecross?!"
Camilla raised her
voice at the unbelievable words Ken had uttered.
"You understand,
don't you? That wasn't enough to drive Nozomu out. If the town's citizens
aren't enough, then we have to target something irreplaceable to this
city."
"But why do you
need to target the children?!"
Causing a commotion in
the city wasn't enough to achieve his goal, so he set his sights on a more important
target. That in itself was not unnatural.
However, if he was
going to set a target, he could have aimed for the dignitaries in the northern
district.
"Security in the
northern district is stricter than in the other districts. Even with your help,
it might be difficult for me to do it alone. There are too many
uncertainties."
The northern
district's administrative area is where dignitaries from various countries are
staying. It was possible that there was even stricter security in place that
Ken and the others weren't aware of, and some of the dignitaries might be
skilled individuals themselves.
"But the ones at
Ecross are children. They're weak but talented and have potential. Do you think
Jihad-sensei would allow someone who harmed such individuals to remain in this
city?"
However, most of the
students enrolled at Ecross are young children. Although they have talent, none
of them have acquired enough strength to protect themselves.
If the story of
someone harming such weak beings were to spread, Nozomu's reputation, which had
recently started to recover, would undoubtedly hit rock bottom. He would be
captured by the military police, tried as a criminal, and sent to some coal
mine or internment camp. At the very least, it would be impossible for him to
remain at this academy.
As if dreaming of that
scene, Ken's face twisted in pleasure.
"You're
insane..."
Gritting her teeth,
Camilla shuddered at Ken's muddy obsession.
But Camilla didn't
think that attacking Ecross would be as easy as Ken said.
Jihad and the other
academy staff must have understood all too well that the children enrolled at
Ecross were still unhatched eggs, even if they had talent.
The dormitory where
they lived was right next to the academy, and there were teachers stationed there
under the pretext of dealing with their daily worries and providing mental
care.
That's why she didn't
think things would go as smoothly as Ken said.
"Not really. I
recently saw an Ecross student out late at night near the library. I think it
was around here..."
Still in Nozomu's
form, Ken began to look around restlessly.
"Camilla, you
wait at a distance. If I cause a disturbance, people will gather. Of course,
the military police will come too. I can get through most things, but I have to
escape while replicating Nozomu's movements, so in some cases, I'll need you to
cover me."
"Hey Ken!
Wait!"
Camilla raised her
voice to stop him. But, as if he couldn't hear her, Ken walked on briskly.
Feeling an
indescribable fear of Ken, who had disappeared into the night's darkness,
Camilla hurriedly took out a communication stone from her pocket.
"Damn it!
Jihad-sensei, can you hear me?! Jihad-sensei!"
At this rate, innocent
children would be caught up in this.
She raised her voice,
trying to somehow convey Ken's intentions, but the communication stone only
emitted a faint red light in her palm, and there was no reply from the crucial
Jihad.
"Why isn't anyone
answering me?!"
As if pleading,
Camilla raised her voice.
If she couldn't stop
Ken at this rate... The worst-case scenario crossed Camilla's mind.
Innocent children lay
fallen, and in a sea of blood filled with the smell of iron, Ken, disguised as
Nozomu, smiled cheerfully.
Considering Ken's
abnormality that she had glimpsed so far, Camilla didn't think that scene was
an over exaggeration at all.
"Could it be
broken...? Please, anyone, just answer! Ken is targeting the Ecross children at
the library!"
Camilla desperately
continued to shout into the communication stone, but she suddenly remembered Jihad's
words and began to search for the trackers who should have been nearby.
However, there was no
way she could easily find a master so skilled that they didn't even leave a
hint of their presence. Driven by impatience, Camilla shouted at the top of her
lungs.
"Hey, you're
there, aren't you! Hurry up and tell Jihad-sensei about this!"
Even if she couldn't
see them, the trackers were surely nearby. Thinking so, she raised her voice,
but the surroundings were completely silent, and not even the meow of a cat
could be heard.
The situation where no
reply came at all fanned her impatience at once.
"!"
Before she knew it,
Camilla had thrown away the communication stone and was running after Ken.
There was no time to
lose. Spurred on by her impatience, she moved her legs, pushed her lungs to the
point of exhaustion, and hurried to the library.
Eventually, the
library building came into view in the distance. A building made of stacked
red-earth bricks, far larger than the surrounding houses.
In front of it stood a
male student in a Solminati Academy uniform and two girls dressed in Ecross
uniforms.
Although she could
only see the male student's back, there was no way Camilla could mistake that
figure. It was the back of Ken disguised as Nozomu, whom she had just seen a
moment ago.
"Ah...Ta,...mu-san...ri..."
Of the two female
students, the one with short black hair was saying something to Ken. There was
still some distance, and Camilla couldn't hear what the girl had said.
But the next moment,
the atmosphere around Ken, who had been spoken to, changed completely.
His shoulders slumped,
he scratched his head, and a sticky, sludge-like presence began to leak from
Ken's body.
A loud alarm bell rang
in Camilla's mind. That presence was the one Ken had directed at Nozomu behind
the school building today. It was a matured hatred and murderous intent.
Ken's abnormal
presence. Then, as if a warning, an icicle the size of an arm pierced the
ground at the girls' feet.
The Ecross girls,
struck by Ken's killing intent, turned pale with fear, huddled together, and
backed away.
Ken took a step
forward as if to chase the retreating girls and reached for the hilt of the
sword at his waist.
"!!"
Even if she ran now,
she wouldn't make it in time. Having made that judgment, Camilla took the staff
she was carrying on her back, chanted a spell, quickly constructed a clod of
earth in front of her, and launched it at the back of the male student standing
in front of her.
***
A groan echoed through
the headquarters, which was filled with smoke and dust. When they strained
their eyes, they saw several people lying on the floor.
"Is everyone all
right?!"
"Y-Yes. We're
fine."
"Ouch, ouch,
ouch... What in the world..."
The first to get up were
Jihad and Mauzu. Their bodies were originally sturdy and covered in full-body
armor, so they weren't greatly affected by the explosion.
Next to get up were
Inda and Tom. Then, Tima and Shina, though wincing in pain, stood up firmly on
their own feet.
Jihad checked
everyone's condition, and while they all had some scrapes, it seemed no one had
any major injuries.
Jihad let out a sigh
of relief at everyone's safety, but his eyes immediately turned sharp as he
glared at the center of the explosion.
There, the Enseki,
shattered to pieces, lay in a wretched state, and its scattered fragments were
strewn all over the floor.
"...Did you
miscontrol your magic power?"
"No, the amount
of magic power Tima-san was emitting was certainly considerable, but the
fluctuation in the flow of magic power itself was minimal. Besides, Tima-san's
magic power was for gathering spirits, not for pouring into the Enseki itself.
A magic power explosion like this that would shatter the Enseki is
unthinkable."
Tima's immense magic
power was too great to be poured into the newly completed Enseki. That's why
they had taken the roundabout measure of using that magic power to attract
spirits, and having Shina supervise and reinforce the communication between the
communication stone and the Enseki.
"Also, I think
the scale of the explosion is too small. If an explosion had occurred with
Tima-san's magic power, this room would have undoubtedly been blown away."
As if convinced by
Inda's explanation, Jihad gave a small nod.
Since no magic power
was poured into the Enseki itself, the only other possibility was Shina, who
was in charge of the spirits...
"Hmm, that's
true. Shina-kun. What about the spirits?"
"Right up until
the explosion, the spirits were obediently listening to me. But just before the
explosion, the spirits showed signs of panic. I think they probably sensed this
explosion in advance."
This possibility was
also low. Both the spirits and the magic power were under proper control.
In that case, the only
remaining possibility was that the cause lay with the Enseki itself.
Of course, they must
have conducted some durability tests, but it was still a newly completed
technology, and no matter how much it was created by the top research
institution on the continent, it was quite possible that it contained some kind
of problem.
"But, we won't
find the answer by thinking about it now. To find the cause, we'll have no
choice but to have Torgrein-dono investigate it thoroughly..."
However, there was
nothing they could do about the Enseki for now, so Jihad switched his line of
thought.
Various speculations
crossed his mind, but they were still in the middle of an operation.
"...What about the
communication network?"
"...It's no good.
The magic power network between the Enseki and the communication stones is
completely severed."
Inda held her hand
over the shattered Enseki and tried to search for the constructed communication
network, but she couldn't hear any communication from any of the teams.
There was no response
to the magic power she sent, and the Enseki, the keystone of the communication
network, was completely silent.
"Can it be
restored?"
"It might be
possible, but with the Enseki in this state..."
Inda and Jihad looked
down at the shattered Enseki scattered on the floor. Even to an untrained eye,
it was clear that constructing a communication network was impossible.
"...It can't be
helped. Since we can't restore the communication network, we have no choice but
to use messengers to command the troops."
The headquarters also
had soldiers for messaging in case of an emergency.
Since the
communication network by Enseki was destroyed, they had no choice but to send
messengers to each of the four districts surrounding the academy to inform them
of the breakdown of the communication network, the current situation at
headquarters, and the future course of action.
"What will we
do?"
"If we can't
coordinate the districts, we have no choice but to have each of them thoroughly
investigate their assigned area. Ken Notice is probably somewhere in the
residential district. Taking that into account, we'll have to urge the adjacent
administrative and commercial districts to be especially careful near the
border with the residential district."
The messengers who had
gathered in front of the headquarters were waiting for Jihad's instructions.
Jihad stood before the
assembled messengers and relayed the current situation at headquarters and the
orders he would give to the soldiers in each district.
"You messengers
will have to run all over the city. I'm sorry to have you clean up our mess,
but..."
"You don't need
to worry about that. That's what we're here for."
The messengers,
standing straight, bowed to Jihad and quickly dispersed into the city.
After seeing them off,
Jihad returned to the headquarters to find Inda, Tima, and the others talking
about something in front of the shattered Enseki.
"But, wouldn't
that be dangerous..."
"That's right.
The control will become much more difficult, and the danger will skyrocket.
However, I think it's possible if we limit the time."
Jihad furrowed his
brow at the unusually tense atmosphere that filled the headquarters.
"What's going
on?"
At the sound of
Jihad's voice echoing through the room, Shina and the others turned their eyes
to him. There, Inda and the others, holding something in their hands, were
gathered in a circle, looking at something.
When Jihad peeked at
what they were holding, he saw several communication stones on the desk that
had been secured as spares.
"What is
it?"
"We were thinking
that it might be possible to temporarily reconstruct the communication
network..."
At Inda's words,
Jihad's eyes sharpened.
"Inda-dono,
please explain."
"Yes, the
communication stones were originally made from this Enseki. And all the
communication stones currently being used in the operation were made from this
shattered Enseki."
Inda picked up one of
the communication stones on the desk with her right hand and held it up in
front of her so that everyone could see it clearly.
She then picked up a
fragment of the Enseki scattered on the floor with her left hand and lined up
both stones as if to compare them.
"Even if they've
been slightly modified, the communication stones are still originally Ensekis.
Of course, there's no formula for communication between the stones themselves,
and the connection between them has become very weak in the process of
modification.
However, although faint,
the magical connection between the communication stones has not been completely
severed. I was wondering if we could use this..."
Originally, Enseki was
a general term for stones with a magical connection. They inherently formed a
complex magical network with each other.
However, that
connection was by no means strong, and it was not practical for human use.
Therefore, by limiting
that magical network, specific connections were strengthened, and only then
could they be used as magical tools like The Twin Stones of Misfortune.
"So, you're
saying you want to restore the function of the communication stones made from
the Enseki as a Enseki, and use them as a master unit?"
Inda nodded in
confirmation to Jihad's question.
If they could do that,
they might be able to reconstruct the communication network they had
established.
However, this
mechanism using the Enseki and communication stones was created by the Gloaurum
Institute, one of the most advanced technological institutions on the
continent. If asked whether a communication stone could be so easily created to
replace a Enseki, any ordinary person would think it impossible.
"Is it
possible?"
"The connection
between the communication stones is so thin that it's almost non-existent, but
it hasn't completely disappeared. Just like before, with the help of Shina-san
and Tima-san, I think it's possible for a short time. However, the
communication stones themselves weren't originally made to construct such a
large communication network, so..."
From what Inda said,
it seemed that even with the help of those with unique abilities like Shina and
Tima, it was only a matter of "it might be possible."
As Inda said, the
communication stones were made on the premise of being used as communication
terminals, and they were not equipped with the function of a master unit for a
communication network like the Enseki.
"...The risk will
be high."
"Yes. However, I
believe the possibility of success is by no means small."
Inda glanced at Shina
and the others standing behind her. A faint hint of expectation could be seen
in her eyes.
Normally, Jihad would
never approve of such a reckless plan. However, the fact that Inda herself said
so probably meant that the possibility of success was not low.
Jihad closed his eyes
and thought deeply.
There was certainly a
risk. Honestly, the possibility of causing an explosion like before was not
zero.
However, a swift
reconstruction of the communication network was certainly necessary. Even with
messengers, the difference in responsiveness was obvious.
After organizing his
thoughts, Jihad looked at Shina and the others again.
"...Let's try it.
Inda-dono and Tom-kun will construct the communication formula on the
communication stones, and Tima-kun and Shina-kun will expand and maintain the
fading magic channels."
"Y-Yes!"
"Understood."
As if spurred on by
Jihad's call, Tima and the others began to move.
Stepping back from the
magic circle so as not to interfere with their work, Jihad stroked the hilt of
his Jaw Breaker and called out to Mauzu.
"Mauzu-dono, in
case of emergency, I will blow away the communication stone."
"Understood. I
will prepare a magic barrier to protect them."
Nodding to each other,
they watched Inda and the others.
A few minutes later, a
faint yet powerful light overflowed from the investigation headquarters.
***
In his dorm room,
Nozomu, along with Barozza and the others, was tilting his head at the silent
communication stone.
"Jibin, is there
still no communication from headquarters?"
"No,
communication is completely cut off."
Barozza put a hand to
his forehead as if he was stumped and looked up at the ceiling.
Nozomu, who was
watching Barozza and the others from the side, was racking his brain for the
cause of this sudden situation, but honestly, there was too little information.
"...What do you
think happened?"
Nozomu asked Barozza
and the others if they had any idea about the cause of the communication
stone's failure, but considering their earlier behavior, he probably couldn't
judge either.
"Who knows...
This communication stone was a prototype that was just made, so it wouldn't be
strange if something happened."
Barozza shrugged his
shoulders as if to say it couldn't be helped.
However, this was not
good. In this operation, Nozomu was not supposed to take any active action in
order to make his alibi certain.
A look of impatience
began to appear on Nozomu's face.
Until now, it hadn't
been so bad because the latest information was exchanged through the
communication network, but when he thought about Ken plotting something out of
sight, he felt like he couldn't just sit still.
However, he couldn't
just move around recklessly here and now. If he didn't act after grasping the
situation properly, he could end up tripping up his allies.
Nozomu took a deep
breath once, and then exhaled deeply as if to wash away his own impatience.
Then, facing Jibin, he
called out to Barozza, who was talking about this and that with the useless
communication stone in one hand.
"Barozza-san,
just in case, why don't we go to headquarters to check? If you guys come with
me, we can prove my alibi..."
Hearing Nozomu's
proposal, Barozza put a hand on his chin and began to think. He was probably
considering whether Nozomu's current proposal was problematic or not.
Their mission was
indeed to secure Nozomu's alibi. As long as they didn't lose sight of his location,
it wouldn't interfere with their actual mission.
"Hmm. But, there
are messengers at headquarters, right? The other teams are patrolling the city,
but we're not moving, so it's better to wait for the messengers to come. That
way, we won't miss each other, and as a result, the time to grasp the situation
will be shorter."
After thinking for a
while, Barozza rejected Nozomu's proposal, considering that there were
messengers at headquarters.
As Barozza said, there
were messengers at headquarters for emergencies. They were soldiers stationed
there in case any abnormality occurred during the investigation and
communication was not possible.
If they moved
carelessly, it could result in a delay in grasping the situation. That's what Barozza
seemed to have decided.
Nozomu also thought
that if there were messengers, there would be no problem, and he readily nodded
to Barozza's words.
The impatience was
still swirling in the depths of Nozomu's chest, but once a course of action was
decided, that feeling of frustration seemed to have subsided a little.
"Hmm?"
At that moment,
Jibin's eyes, who had been trying to communicate with the other teams,
narrowed.
He held the
communication stone in his hand to his ear, listening intently as if to pick up
the faintest sound.
"Senior, I hear
someone's voice from the communication stone just now..."
"Oh! Is it
fixed?"
Barozza's face lit up
at Jibin's report. Nozomu and Barozza rushed over to the communication stone
that Jibin was holding.
As the three of them
listened intently, they eventually heard a muffled voice mixed in with the
sound of a sandstorm.
...de, da...!
"I can't hear it
well."
"It seems the
communication condition is still not good."
The voice coming from
the communication stone was drowned out by a noise that seemed to stir the
depths of their ears, and they couldn't even grasp a single word.
The voice itself was
so small that they would miss it if they weren't careful, and the three of them
pressed their faces close together, trying to somehow grasp the content of the
message.
"...Doesn't
something seem strange?"
Although the voice
coming from the communication stone was very small and almost inaudible, Nozomu
felt a sense of urgency in it.
It seemed Barozza and
the others felt the same way, as they both nodded slightly at Nozomu's words.
"Yeah, it feels
like someone's in a panic... Jibin, try pouring more magic power into the
communication stone."
"Understood."
As Jibin poured more
magic power into the communication stone, the sound of a sandstorm-like static
grew louder along with the strengthening red light. It was proof that the
sensitivity of the communication had increased due to the injected magic power.
The fact that the
static was getting louder was a problem, but it was unavoidable in order to
amplify the other party's voice enough to be heard.
Wincing at the static
ringing in their ears, Nozomu and the others closed their eyes and strained
their ears so as not to miss the faint voice lost in the sandstorm.
...! Ken is at
Ecross...
Although the voice was
lost in the static to the point of being almost inaudible, this time they were
able to clearly grasp the words. However, Nozomu and the others were stunned by
those words.
"H-Hey. Ecross
is..."
"The affiliated
school of Solminati Academy..."
The name of the
suspect and the word Ecross that they heard. The same conjecture flashed
through the minds of the three, and at the same time, a cold sweat broke out.
Ken's goal was... to defame
Nozomu.
Attending the
affiliated school called Ecross were the treasures of the future, still young,
with infinite potential.
And considering
everything up to now, Ken would no longer hesitate to use any means to achieve
his goal.
"!?"
At the same time, a
heart-wrenching, worst-case scenario flashed through Nozomu's mind.
If Ken was targeting
the students of Ecross, who would be the most suitable target?
Without a moment's
hesitation, what came to Nozomu's mind was a girl with a beautiful, glossy
black hair cut neatly, and a radiant smile like the sun shining in the sky.
The next moment,
Nozomu stood up as if he had been shot and rushed to the door of his room.
"Ken's target is
probably Somia-chan! I'm heading to Ecross now! Jibin-san, please inform the
messengers who will come here of the situation!"
After getting to know
Irisdina and the others, Somia also often came to school with them. It was no
wonder that Ken knew of Somia, the sister of the black-haired princess!
As if he couldn't even
spare the time to turn the knob, Nozomu unhesitatingly broke down the door to
his room and jumped out into the hallway.
Barozza, who was
momentarily stunned by Nozomu's sudden action, immediately came to his senses
and sprang into action.
Barozza snatched up
his beloved sword that was beside him and followed Nozomu out of the room. The
students, who were surprised by the sound of Nozomu kicking down the door
earlier, had come out into the hallway to see what was going on.
They all stared
wide-eyed at the middle-aged man who had come out of Nozomu's room.
"I'm going after
that kid! Jibin, I'm counting on you to relay the message to the
messengers!"
"Y-Yes?!"
Exposed to the curious
and strange gazes from his surroundings, Barozza entrusted the cleanup to Jibin
and ran after Nozomu.
"I'm counting on
you! Kid! Hey, wait a minute!"
Chasing after Nozomu's
figure that was getting smaller in the back of the hallway, Barozza moved his
legs desperately.
Nozomu leaned over the
stairs and continued to jump down to the lower floors. When he reached the
first floor, he started running at full speed again. He ran straight through
the hall.
With a loud noise that
sounded like the front entrance door had broken, Nozomu jumped out of the
opened door and ran into the city that had sunk into the darkness of the night.
Behind Nozomu, Barozza
was still shouting, but Nozomu didn't seem to hear him at all.
Completely ignoring
the calls to stop, Nozomu, driven by his impatience, continued to run
desperately.
"Senior?!
Nozomu-kun?! Oh, come on!"
The one who got the
short end of the stick was Jibin, who was left alone. Cursing at the two who
had run off without a second glance, Jibin quickly packed his things and rushed
out of the dormitory.
Running at full speed
through the already dark city, he began to run towards Solminati Academy, where
the investigation headquarters was located.
"Hah, hah, hah!
Guh!"
Panting, Jibin
quickened his pace to report this situation as soon as possible. But the next
moment, a sharp pain suddenly ran through his chest.
"W-What...
Guah!"
The pain was so
intense that Jibin couldn't help but stop. At the same time, an unpleasant
voice echoed in Jibin's head like a chorus.
FOUND YOU...
Even though there
should have been no one around, Jibin could clearly hear the voice in his mind.
And as if to overlap with the voice ringing in his head, the pain in his chest
grew even stronger.
FOUND, FOUND,
A SUITABLE SACRIFICE, A QUALIFIED CANDIDATE...
"F-Found? W-What
are you talking about... Ugh, ah. Ggh! Gaaaaah!"
A sensation. A
nauseating feeling as if something was crawling around inside his body, and an
intense pain as if his internal organs were being churned. Jibin's face turned
pale in an instant, and a large amount of cold sweat broke out.
He fell to his knees
on the ground and hugged his own body, but the pain showed no signs of
subsiding.
His vision blurred
like a sandstorm from the intense pain that felt like his body was being torn
apart, and his whole body continued to stiffen.
Then, with a snap! a
sound like something had burst echoed, followed by a heat that felt like a
branding iron was being pressed against Jibin's body.
"...Huh?"
When Jibin
inadvertently looked at his own hands that were squeezing his body, he saw a
thick red liquid splattered on them.
And along with a
reddish-black lump soaked in blood, a snake-like creature was peeking out from
his own stomach.
A snake with no eyes,
covered in blackish scales. While Jibin was stunned by the impossible creature
that had come out of his own body, the blind snake raised its head and looked
up at the sky.
Eventually, the flesh
of what looked like its head tore open and spread out into four petals, and
countless fangs grew from the inside. Then, the scales on its entire body
flipped over, and countless red eyes peeked out with their cold gaze.
"...Ah"
The blood-red eyes
stared at Jibin. And without ever fully understanding the situation he had
encountered, Jibin's consciousness fell into a pitch-black darkness.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Geral Aponso
MaxKne
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
1EYED_SLOTH
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Crushingon
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Joe Smith
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
